Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Stake Raised by Ceredex Value Advisors LLC

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 34,966.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 157,800 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 157,350 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kemper were worth $10,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners grew its position in Kemper by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,105,859 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $73,363,000 after acquiring an additional 574,730 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kemper during the fourth quarter worth approximately $23,325,000. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 3,378.5% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 220,712 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,724,000 after buying an additional 214,367 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Kemper during the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,016,000. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Kemper by 320.5% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 190,156 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,634,000 after buying an additional 144,934 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE KMPR opened at $57.55 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $64.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 1.05. Kemper Co. has a 52-week low of $53.57 and a 52-week high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. Analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.60.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation, a diversified insurance holding company, engages in the provision of insurance products to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Property & Casualty Insurance, Preferred Property & Casualty Insurance, and Life & Health Insurance.